Rabbi's Sermons

Shabat Shalom!

This week's portion is called Parashat Ekev. The children of Israel are now on the verge of entering the Land of Israel, following forty years of wandering in the desert. At that moment, Moshe repeated in their ears the same basic things on which they were about to base their life from that moment on. Rashi claims, that the laws mentioned in this reading of the Torah are mostly "light commandments", that is, matters that seem small to us. But in reality, those laws are the ones that shape life, giving them meaning. They are the most important ones, because not keeping these commandments, might set the Jewish world on a dangerous path, in dead end, in a conceited way through arrogance, something that could lead to a social and spiritual emptiness.

As an example to this claim, the verse in the book of Deuteronomy 8:3 says: "And He (God) humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know, that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live". At first glance, the message of this verse is to tell us to remember, man is not completely independent, rather he depends on which "proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord". But there is more than that: God is trying to teach us something, to show us that bread is not something that you have because it is simply there in a shelf on a supermarket. It is not a coincidence that Moshe reminds the people of the good manna that God brought from heaven, which God gave them when they had nothing to eat during their wandering in the desert.

Not only bread is something we take for granted, but water as well. Thus, it is written in Deuteronomy 11:10-12: “¹⁰ For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt from whence ye came out, where thou sowed thy seed and watered it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs. ¹¹ But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven, ¹² a land which the Lord thy God careth for. The eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year”.

Egypt has abundant water, coming from the Nile. In the Land of Israel, water is given only from "rain of heaven". The water is not self-evident, as many think today, after Israel has created enormous plants to desalinize water from the sea. Another warning is given to the people: In Deuteronomy 8:7-8, God tells the people who are about to enter a good land, as it is written: "⁷ For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills, ⁸ a land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates, a land of olive oil, and honey”.

And what is the warning then? - The warning is not to take the good land for granted, as it is written following in the text: “14 then thine heart be lifted up and thou forget the Lord thy God, who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, 15 who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents and scorpions and drought, where there was no water, who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint, 16 who fed thee in the wilderness with manna which thy fathers knew not, that He might humble thee and that He might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; 17 and thou say in thine heart, ‘My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth’”.

"My power and the strength of my hand have brought me this wealth" - it seems, at times, that only by our effort, anything that happens “just... happens!”, and we find ourselves overwhelmed with that power. Sometimes we forget to appreciate the bread and water that come into our lives. We are not the kings of the world! - so God tells us. Even if it seems like we do not lack anything, even if we feel good and comfortable with ourselves, these texts are here to remind us, that we should appreciate everything we have, as a blessing. If we fail to do so, Perashat Ekev warns us: "Avod tovedun - you will certainly be lost". A man who is unaware, that it is not just by his own capabilities, that he obtained everything he has, or everything that happened to him “just happened”, a man intoxicated by his own power, a man who is sure that everything is handed to him on a silver platter, and neglects to think about the hand that served it to him, eventually will be lost. Anyone may forget spirituality, having a soul, or the joy of those little things in life. The most beautiful thing in life is, perhaps, that initial feeling of miracle and wonder, that “woah moment” - about everything that is happening around us. The fifth chapter of Pirkei Avot lists ten miracles performed to our ancestors in the temple, among which, is curiously mentioned: "And there were no flies in the slaughterhouse". Seriously!? Was that also a great miracle? Apparently, it was! The fact that there were no flies in the temple, while the animals were slaughtered, was considered a "great miracle". But... why this simple and seemingly trivial issue is considered a miracle? We must remember: a miracle becomes a miracle, only when we notice it, when we realize its existence. Only when we bother to pause for a few moments and pay attention to details, to the unusual, amazing, or joyous, when we suddenly hear the words that touch our soul, from the voice of the person taking us a picture, or from a friend visiting us… or just watching someone waving the Israeli flag in the middle of a day, in a crossroad in Shreveport… that is also a message! In many cases, miracles are precisely those small details, to which we tend not to pay attention, not to appreciate. Believe me, there are many examples in life: A pleasant breeze on a hot day, a smile that we did not expect, the sound of a bird that catches our attention, that splendid huge moon that I saw a couple of days ago on Tu BeAv, a person who asks us for help – to who we respond and help, suddenly without expecting it, getting out from an unbearable traffic... There are so many examples! Just think of something that bothered you very much, and was suddenly easily resolved, just like the absence of flies in the temple… just as the voice you were waiting for… THAT was a miracle too. Maybe we simply did not notice it… there is a beautiful song from the “Fiddle of the Roof” called “Miracle of miracles” a romantic moment that says:

When David slew Goliath, yes! - That was a miracle

When God gave us manna in the wilderness - That was a miracle too!

But of all God's miracles large and small - The most miraculous one of all

Is the one I thought could never be - God has given you to me

Which brings me to Tu B'Av, the day of love which was celebrated past Monday. Love is not obvious either, love IS also a miracle! It is also something valuable that we must appreciate: the love between a couple, the love for our parents, the love for our sons and daughters, the love for our relatives. Love is also a miracle in itself, a chain of small miraculous experiences. Love has a wonderful quality: the more you appreciate and rejoice in it, the more radiant, beautiful, and abundant it becomes. The more love we give, the more love we receive. And when we return love, we rejoice not only the soul of the beloved, but also our own soul.

Definitely, one of the most significant and beautiful messages of this portion Ekev, is to be aware that everything we have has not been achieved due to luck or chance, but the result of abundant blessings from the Creator of the Universe, and we should remember, that miracles abound in our lives. We say it in our prayers during the Amidah, in the Modim section (Thanksgiving): "for the miracles you give us daily, erev-boker-vatzohoraim at night, in the morning, and in the afternoon". A beautiful story tells of several people who were one afternoon enjoying the beach. Almost at sunset, the colors in the sky turned black, blue, orange, yellow, red, in a perfect combination of hues, while the sun slowly disappeared at the horizon. Everyone was stunned by that beauty, with the sound of the waves, the cool breeze, some took pictures, others simply watched, quietly. The sun finally disappeared, and one of the attendants turned to the others, saying: "Guys! I believe that the creator of this incredible show, this amazing work of art, deserves a great and effusive applause!" and everyone began to applaud and cheer, in joy. Maybe we just need to pay more attention, and realize the many miracles that surround our lives, enjoy them, and specially give thanks for them.

Shabat Shalom!

Rabbi David Laor

August 23^rd 2024